Do I need immigration permission to study in the UK?

What is “immigration permission”?

It is a generic term that we use to keep our guidance clear.

Immigration permission is also known as a "visa". If the immigration permission is issued from your home country, it is called “entry clearance”. Immigration permission issued in the UK is called either “leave to enter” (if you apply from your home country or on entry) or “leave to remain” (if you apply in the UK). The permission is shown on a “vignette” (sticker) in your passport, or on a plastic card, a “Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)”.

Sometimes we do use these specific terms if it is useful for clarity, but mostly we use call everything “immigration permission”.

EEA and Swiss nationals (including UK) and their family members

If you hold a passport or national identity card as a citizen of one of the following countries, then you are not subject to UK immigration controls and you do not need immigration permission to study in the UK.

Taiwan (except those nationals who hold a passport that includes the number of the national’s identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Tunisia

Turkey*

Turkmenistan

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates*†

Uzbekistan

Venezuela (except those nationals that hold a passport that contains biometric information held in an electronic chip)

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

If you only hold a passport or travel document issued by the former Soviet Union or by the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, if you are a stateless person or you hold non-national document then you are also considered a visa national.

Non-visa nationals

If you have a passport or travel document issued by a country or territory not on the list above, you are a non-visa national. You can come to the UK as a visitor or a Short Term Student without applying for immigration permission before you travel, but if you are coming for any other reason, including as a Tier 4 General student, you must apply for immigration permission before you travel.

See the section “Applying when you arrive in the UK” in this guide.

Holders of more than one nationality

If you hold passports that state you are a citizen or national of more than one country or territory and those countries or territories are in different categories above, then you can benefit from whichever category is least restrictive.

Examples:

If you hold passports that show you are a citizen or national of the Russian Federation (visa national) and Iceland (European Economic Area), you would not need to apply for immigration permission if you travel to the UK using your Icelandic passport.

If you hold passports that show you are a citizen or national of Canada (non-visa national) and Iraq (visa national), then, in certain circumstances, you can come to the UK without applying for immigration permission before you travel if you use your Canadian passport.

Those who already have immigration permission to stay in the UK

If you already have immigration permission to stay in the UK for another purpose, other than as a visitor, you can normally study at QMUL without applying for new immigration permission. However, you must make sure that you will continue to meet the requirements of your current immigration permission while you are studying and that your immigration permission does not prohibit you from studying at QMUL.

The types of immigration permission that prohibit you from studying at QMUL are:

Any type of visitor visa

Tier 4 immigration permission issued for study at another institution unless the study at QMUL is supplementary to that main study.

Other types of immigration permission do allow you to study:

Dependant of someone in the UK

Tiers 1, 2 or 5 , UK ancestry or other work categories

Any other type of immigration permission,

If you are thinking about studying on your existing immigration permission, check that you will have enough time to complete your course before your current permission expires, or that your will permission will be extended. For example, if you are a dependant, check with your family member that they plan to extend their stay, and that you will be included in the application.

You may already know that you will need to make a Tier 4 application at some point during your studies, for example, you are currently in the UK as a dependant and the person you are accompanying needs to leave the UK before the end of your studies, In this case, you would need to leave with them and make a Tier 4 application in your home country. This could disrupt your studies, so you might choose to find a convenient earlier opportunity to go home apply, for example during a summer vacation.

If you have immigration permission and you start a part-time course, QM cannot sponsor you under Tier 4 to complete your part-time course unless you switch to full-time studies.

Extending existing immigration permission for your studies

If you are already in the UK with immigration permission which expires shortly, or which prevents you from studying at QMUL, you may be able to apply for new immigration permission without going home. There are very strict rules about when it is possible to apply in the UK. If you do not meet the requirements of these rules you must leave the UK to make an immigration application.

Short-Term Student

It is not possible to apply for immigration permission as a Short-Term Student from within the UK. You need to leave the UK and apply at a British visa centre or section in another country. Non-visa nationals can apply for immigration permission as a Short-Term Student when re-entering the UK.

Tier 4 (General) Student

If you are applying for immigration permission as a Tier 4 (General) Student, you can normally only apply in the UK if you have Tier 4 (General) Student[‡], Tier 4 (Child) Student or Tier 2 immigration permission.

To apply for Tier 4 student immigration permission, your course at QMUL must start within 28 days of your current immigration permission expiring. For example, if your CAS statement states that your course starts on 19 September 2016, your current immigration permission must not expire before 22 August 2016.

If you cannot apply for Tier 4 (General) Student immigration permission while you are in the UK, you will have to make an application to the British visa centre or section in the country where you would normally live[§][**] when you are not in the UK.

[*] Even if you hold a diplomatic passport, you must still apply for immigration permission for the purpose of studying before travelling to the UK, unless you also hold an Electronic Visa Waiver document.

[§] If there is no UK Visa Application Centres operating in your country of nationality, the UK Government may specify other UK Visa Application Centres where you can make your application. See www.gov.uk/find-a-visa-application-centre

[**] If you have immigration permission to live in a country, which is not your country of nationality, and that immigration permission allows you to live in that country for more than six months at a time, the UK government will normally consider that you live in that country. This means you can apply for Tier 4 (General) Student immigration permission in your country of nationality or the country where you have been granted immigration permission to live.

Disclaimer:Law, regulations and policies can change quickly. The information on our website is given in good faith and has been carefully checked but QMUL cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. QMUL is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites which are provided for further information.